Railway vehicle journal box pedestal cap



July 2, 1935. A. w. BRUCE RAILWAY VEHICLE JOURNAL BOX PEDESTAL CAP Filed April 27, 1954 w B RWMWW O R mm @m E 9 A A KN m N N 0E l,

Patented July 2, 1935 PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY VEHICLE JOURNAL Box PEDESTAL CAP Alfred W. Bruce, New York, N. Y., assignor to.

American Locomotive Company, N. Y., a corporation of New York New York,

Application April 27, 1934, Serial No; 722,620

8 Claims. (01. 105 -172) This invention relates to railway vehicle journal "box pedestals and particularly. to an improved cap for such a pedestal. An object of the invention is to provide an improved cap. for a pedestal of the character described designed to provide metal to metal fits between certain.- of its surfaces and. surfaces ad- 'acent thereto .of the pedestalin such manner as to effect a maximum'holding power..

A further object is to provide a cap of the character, described which is applicable to the usual design of pedestal having leg extensions without change in the construction of such pedestal. A further object is to provide a cap of the character described which will be adjustable during assembly to compensate for inaccuracies in the formation of the legs of the pedestal which it engages.

A further object is to provide a cap of the character described which will be easily removable from a pedestal to which it has been applied.

Other and further objects of and advantages achieved by this invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a journal box pedestal embodiedin a portion of a locomotive side frame member with the cap of the presentinvention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a section on the line Il -II of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a locomotive side frame member is indicated generally by the numeral l and comprises a horizontal, longitudinally extending upper rail 2, a horizontal, longitudinally extending lower rail 3 and vertical legs 4 extending between-the rails 2 and 3 and integrally formed therewith thus'providing a pedestal of the usual design indicated generally by the numeral 5 having a "jaw orjournal box opening 5a. J

A shoe 6, a wedge! and an axle 8 are indicated in their proper respective positions by broken lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, all as in usual practice.

Also as in usual practice the legs 4 extend downwardly below the rail 3, each thus having an extended portion. or toe 9. Each extended porner or journal box side; an upwardly and outwardly slanting surface H at its outer side and a lower horizontal surface l2. .The surfaces I and l I and the lower surfaces l3 of the'rail 3 adjacent the respective leg portions 9' are one gaged by metal to metal" fits with adjacent'surfaces of a pedestal cap embodying the present invention as hereinafter described.

The pedestal cap indicated generally by the '5 numeral l4 includesaspreader l and a sepe arately formed binder Hi. The spreader com.- prises a longitudinal member having vertical surfaces I? at its opposite ends and is disposed between the leg portions 9 with the surfaces H 10 engaging the respective opposite vertical sur# faces I 8. The binder l6 comprises a longitudi+ nal member having an upstanding abutment 18 at each of its opposite ends shaped to providean upwardly and outwardly slanting surface. l9 which engages the slanting surface ll ofthe adjacent leg portion 9. Each abutment i8 is also shaped to provide an upper horizontal surface 20 which engages the adjacent lower rail surface I3. I

Vertical bolt holes 2| (two in the embodiment illustrated) are formed in the spreader I5betwee'n its ends, and vertical bolt holes 22 are formed in the binder it, a hole 22 being opposite andin alignment or substantial alignment with each hole 2i. Bolts 23 are passed through the respective aligned holes 2'! and 22 with their heads bearing on the upper surface of the spreader and nuts-Hare provided on their lower ends to hold the spreader .and binder together. The holes 22 areoversized thereby permitting a limited amount of relative longitudinalrn'ovement between the spreader and the binder during assembly.

' In the rail 3 adjacent each leg 4' two spaced ver- W I tical bolt 110165 '25 are formed and spaced vertical bolt holes 26 areformed in each end of thebind er i5, passing through the respectiveabutment l3, one hole 26 beingopposite and in alignment or substantial alignment with each hole 25. Bolts 2i are-passedthrough the-respective aligned holes 25 and 26 with their heads bearing upon the upper surface of the rail 3, and nuts 28 are provided at their lower ends, the binder being thusrigidly secured to the rail. The end portions oithe binder are spot-faced at the lower ends of the holes-28 to provide suitable seats indicated at25l for the uppermost of the nuts 28. The holes 26 are oversized so as to permit a limited amountof relative longitudinal movement between the binder "and the rail 3 during assembly. I 0 tion 9 p es a vertical surface will at its ini It will be apparent that during assembly when the nuts 28 are drawn up tightly, the slanting surfaces It, bearing in metal to metal fit against the respective adjacent slanting surfaces 1 I; will force the leg portions 9 inwardly, that istoward' each other, so that the surfaces ID of the leg portions will bear in metal to metal fit against the respective adjacent vertical surfaces ll of the spreader l5. Also the binder abutments l8 will be drawn upwardly and their surfaces 20 will bear in metal to metal fit against adjacent surfaces l3 of the rail 3.

It will thus be apparent that the cap engages the pedestal in metal to metal fit at three separate surfaces at each end thereof, that is. the surfaces [0, H and 13. The lower surfaces I2 of the leg portions will be spaced from the upper surface of the binder at all times so that in assembly the drawing of the binder upwardly will effect a tightening of the cap in position.

Aligned vertical holes 30 and 3| are provided in the spreader and binder respectively for a wedge bolt (not shown) such as employed in usual practice.

Heretofore pedestal caps have been used which are formed in one piece of a shape similar to that of the combined spreader and binder of this invention. With such caps however it is impractical from a manufacturing cost standpoint to effect a metal to metal fit between thervertical surfaces l and H as well as the slanting surfaces H and I9 and the horizontal surfaces l3 and 20 and for this reason a maximum holding power by such pedestal caps is unattainable. The relative longitudinal movement permitted during assembly by the construction of the present invention between its spreader and binder and between the binder and the rail 3 permits the cap to be assembled with the three metal to metal fits at each side of the pedestal as hereinbefore described, thereby affording maximum holding power.

. As is well understood the primary object of pedestal caps is to give the required strength to the locomotive side frameat the various pedestals where the frame is necessarily weakened by having only the upper rail to support it. Therefore necessarily the pedestal cap should fit snugly about the pedestal leg extended portions and over the lower faces of the adjacent portion of the lower rail.

In all instances the distance between the surfaces I0 and I0 should be the same as the distance between the surfaces I! and I1, and the distance between the surfaces II, and II should be the same as the distance between the surfaces l9 and With the ordinary one-piece cap, to attain the desired accurate fitting careful machining of the respective contacting surfaces is necessary. In other words the widths of each leg extended portion and itsengaging cap slot should be exactly the same and the extended portion and slot should accurately register. To attain these ends the similar oppositely disposed surfaces of the leg extended portions and their engaging surfaces or walls of the grooves should be accurately centered, that is to say the position of the center point between the surfaces l0 and I0 relative to the center point between the surfaces H and II should be the same as the position of the center ,point between the surfaces I! and H relative to the center point of the surfaces l9 and I9. Ob

.viously if the proper centering is not attained one leg extended portion will be wider and the other narrower than intended, or one groove will be wider and the other narrower than intended, which will make it impossible to obtain the accurate fitting desired to give maximum strength to the side frame member.

With the cap of the present invention this accurate centering is not required as by reason of the relative movement permitted between the spreader l 5 and binder I6 the grooves are slightly adjustable as to relative size and should one leg extended portion, for the above reasons, be slightly larger and the other leg extended portion be correspondingly smaller than intended the spreader will be adjusted relative to the binder so that correspondingly larger and smaller grooves may be effected and thereby the desired snug fit between the respective surfaces of the leg extended portions and cap will be obtained.

It will be further apparent that the construction of the present invention has a special advantage with regard to removing the cap. In similar caps made in one piece, in order to remove them they must be gradually forced downward by wedging between the adjacent horizontal surf-aces of the binder and the pedestal at each side thereof until the surfaces I! are free from the surfaces I53. With the present cap however when the nuts 24 and 28 have been removed, it is only necessary in order to remove the cap to slightly wedge the binder away from the pedestal, and the binder being free from the spreader it may thereupon be readily removed from the pedestal. The pressure forcing the legs against the spreader having then been removed, the spreader may easily be forced down clear of the pedestal.

As a further advantage a pedestal may be fitted with a cap of the present invention having an oversized spreader by cutting away one end of the spreader, and having a binder with an undersized space between its surfaces [9 by cutting away one of the surfaces l9, it being understood that the respective bolt holes are made after the cutting away has been completed. Thus a stock of oversized spreaders of maximum length and binders of minimum length between their surfaces I9l9 may be kept on hand in a shop, and by simply cutting away to the required extent portions at one surface 10 and one surface [9 stock caps may be fitted to pedestals of a variety of sizes.

The cap of the present invention is of particular advantage for use on pedestal constructions in connection with which roller bearings are employed as in such constructions accuracy in alignment is required and also the distance between the pedestal legs is of an increased amount thereby occasioning more likelihood of distortion, unless caps having a maximum holding power are employed, when raising the vehicle with the pedestal caps applied.

The invention claimed and desired to be se cured by Letters Patent is:

1. A cap for a railway vehicle journal box pedestal comprisingspreader means adapted to be disposed in thepedestal opening in engagement with the lower end portions of the inner surfaces of the legs of said pedestal to resist contraction of said legs; binder means separate from said spreader means for spanning said pedestal opening and extending over the lower ends of said legs; securing means for detachably securing said spreader means and said binder means together adapted to permit longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly; and securing means for detachably securing said binder means rigidly with said pedestal.

2. A cap for a railway vehicle journal box pedestal comprising spreader means adapted to be disposed in the pedestal opening in engagement with the lower end portions of the inner surfaces of said pedestal to resist contraction of the pedestal legs; binder means separate from said spreader means for spanning said pedestal opening and extending over the lower ends of said legs, said spreader means having a bolt hole formed therein and said binder means having a bolthole formed therein in alignment with the first said bolt hole; a bolt passed through said holes securing said spreader means and binder means together, one of said holes being oversized to permit relative longitudinal movement between the two said means during assembly; and means for detachably securing said binder means rigidly with said pedestal.

3. A cap for a railway vehicle journal box pedestal comprising spreader means adapted to be disposed in the pedestal opening in engagement with the lower end portions of the inner surfaces of the legs of said pedestal to resist contraction of said legs; binder means separate from said spreader means for spanning said pedestal open- I ing and extending over the lowerends of said legs; securing means for detachably securing said spreader means and said binder means together adapted to permit relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly; and securing means for detachably securing said binder means rigidly with said pedestal adapted to permit relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly.

4. In a railway vehicle side frame member journal box pedestal assemblage, a pedestal having two spaced legs providing an opening therebetween for a journal box; spreader means disposed in said opening in snug engagement with the inner surfaces of said legs; binder means separate from said spreader means spanning said opening and embracing said pedestal at the opposite sides thereof, said spreader means having a bolt hole formed therein, said member having bolt holes formed therein one on each of the opposite sides of said pedestal and said binder means having bolt holes formed therein one aligned with each of said bolt holes in said spreader means and said member providing pairs of oppositely disposed aligned holes, one of the holes of each of said pairs being oversized; and bolts, one bolt passed through the holes of each of said pairs securing said spreader means and binder means together and permitting relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly and securing said binder means with said pedestal and permitting relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly.

5. A cap for a railway vehicle journal box pedestal comprising spreader means adapted to be disposed in the pedestal opening and having end surfaces adapted for engagement with the lower end portions of the inner faces of the legs of said pedestal to resist contraction of said legs; binder vertical end surfaces adapted for engagement with the lower end portions of the inner surfaces of the legs of said pedestal to resist contraction of said legs; binder means separate from said spreader means for spanning the pedestal opening having slanting surfaces adapted for engagement with the lower end portions of the outer surfaces of said legs; and securing means for detachably securing said spreader means and said binder means rigidly with said pedestal permitting relative longitudinal movement between said spreader means and said binder means during assembly.

7. In a railway vehicle journal box assemblage, a pedestal having two spaced legs providing an opening therebetween for a journal box and horizontal rail members extending outwardly from said legs above the lower ends of said legs; a cap comprising spreader means removably disposed in said opening in snug engagement with the lower end portions of the inner surfaces of said legs and binder means separate from said spreader means spanning said opening, engaging the lower end portions of the outer surfaces of said legs and engaging the adjacent portions of the bottom surfaces of said rail members; se-

curing means for detachably securing said spreader means and binder means together permitting relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly; and securing means for detachably securing said binder means to said rail members and permitting relative longitudinal movement therebetween during assembly.

8. In combination with a railway vehicle side frame member having an opening for a journal box-formed therein, said opening being open at its bottom; a binder disposed below said side frame member and having a portion disposed below and spanning said open bottom to close same, said binder having end portions extending beyond said open bottom and disposed below the bottom face of said side frame member; means securing said end portions to said side frame member; and a spreader separate from said binder removably disposed in said opening at the bottom thereof above the upper face of said spanning portion of said binder in snug engagement with the opposite defining side walls of said opening.

ALFRED W. BRUCE. 

